Air Force Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. Michelle Johnson has the right energy, passion and intelligence to correct a misguided culture that allowed star athletes to commit sex crimes.

Johnson, the first female superintendent of a major military academy, has been in the role for a year and is already taking the proper steps to right the ship.

The academy was rocked in recent weeks by reports in The Gazette and The Denver Post, detailing a 2011 party at which football players allegedly sexually assaulted passed-out female cadets.

An investigation led to court-martial convictions of two players and lesser charges and punishments for others. A third cadet, also an athlete, was convicted of sexual misconduct in a separate case.

The incident occurred long before Johnson’s reign, but she deserves credit for diving in to to try reboot the culture.

A Department of Defense report in January identified a culture of disrespect in the three military academies that contributes to sexual harassment and assaults. Sports and club teams are areas needing more training, the report says.

In an interview with The Post’s editorial board last week, Johnson said she immediately saw the work that was needed when she arrived.

“We weren’t as aligned as an institution as we need to be,” she said. “Our standards need to be uniform across.”

For example, there wasn’t a sexual assault response team aligned with the athletic department. And coaches weren’t aware of the academy’s broader school standards.

Johnson has asked coaches to take on a larger role in preventing sexual assault and has sought to make them more involved in the school’s mission and standards.

She recently asked the academy’s inspector general to audit the athletic department and look at leadership issues, how well rules are being followed, financial records and the work environment.

Johnson is a mid-50s mother of twin boys with a stellar résumé. She was the first woman to lead a class as cadet wing commander before graduating in 1981 and was the academy’s first Rhodes Scholar. She was an Air Force aide to presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton and deputy chief of staff at NATO headquarters in Belgium.

There have previously been commitments to fix the academy’s culture when reports of sexual assaults dominated the headlines. But we hope Lt. Gen. Johnson’s background, passion for the institution and good sense will make a difference this time.